John Nott

John Nott was born on February 1, 1932, in Bideford, Devon, in Southwest England, son of Richard and Phyllis Nott. He served in the armed forces in Malaysia from 1952 to 1956, but left to study law at Trinity College, Cambridge. From there, he entered law practice. He entered politics when he won a seat in Parliament in the 1966 General Election, as a Conservative MP representing St. Ives. He served as an MP for seventeen years. When Margaret Thatcher led the Conservative Party to victory in the 1979 General Election, John Nott was appointed Secretary of State for Trade. He served in that capacity for a year and a half, until he was moved to head the Ministry of Defense in January 1981, replacing Francis Pym. John Nott was Minister of Defense during the 1982 Falklands War. With the outbreak of war, John Nott offered his resignation to the Prime Minister, but Margaret Thatcher refused it, saying he had a bounden duty to stay once British troops were sent into battle. John Nott did not s